Smith & Hawken
Encyclopedia
Smith & Hawken was garden lifestyle brand that operated retail stores, direct mail and e-commerce in the United States. On July 10, 2009, it was announced that all Smith & Hawken stores would cease operation. Smith & Hawken stores were located in upscale retail locations in 22 states.
Smith & Hawken was founded by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken
in 1979, originally as a garden tool supplier. Their first retail store opened in 1982 in Mill Valley, California
. Smith left the business in 1988. When Hawken retired in 1993, the company was acquired by a retail conglomerate, the CML Group, which sold it to DDJ Capital Management in 1999, after going bankrupt. The company was acquired by Scotts Miracle-Gro company in 2004 for $72 million dollars. When Smith & Hawken closed, it had approximately 700 employees in its stores and the Novato, California
headquarters.
Scotts Miracle-Gro chairman and CEO, Jim Hagedorn, cited the continuing weak economy and "lack of scale" as the primary drivers behind Smith Hawken's closure. According to Scotts' May 2009 quarterly report, Smith & Hawken net sales were down 22.4% for the first half of fiscal 2009.
Smith & Hawken's founders were reportedly not upset to learn the company they founded 30 years earlier was closing. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Dave Smith and Paul Hawken were relieved by the announcement, stating that "Scotts couldn't have been a worse corporate owner." Smith said he asked friends not to shop there after Scotts purchased the company in 2004.
On January 8, 2010, Target Corporation
announced it acquired the Smith & Hawken brand.
Smith & Hawken was founded by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken
Paul Hawken
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author.-Life:Paul Hawken had a Swedish grandmother and a Scottish grandfather with a farm. His father worked at UC Berkeley...
in 1979, originally as a garden tool supplier. Their first retail store opened in 1982 in Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
. Smith left the business in 1988. When Hawken retired in 1993, the company was acquired by a retail conglomerate, the CML Group, which sold it to DDJ Capital Management in 1999, after going bankrupt. The company was acquired by Scotts Miracle-Gro company in 2004 for $72 million dollars. When Smith & Hawken closed, it had approximately 700 employees in its stores and the Novato, California
Novato, California
Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
headquarters.
Scotts Miracle-Gro chairman and CEO, Jim Hagedorn, cited the continuing weak economy and "lack of scale" as the primary drivers behind Smith Hawken's closure. According to Scotts' May 2009 quarterly report, Smith & Hawken net sales were down 22.4% for the first half of fiscal 2009.
Smith & Hawken's founders were reportedly not upset to learn the company they founded 30 years earlier was closing. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Dave Smith and Paul Hawken were relieved by the announcement, stating that "Scotts couldn't have been a worse corporate owner." Smith said he asked friends not to shop there after Scotts purchased the company in 2004.
On January 8, 2010, Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
announced it acquired the Smith & Hawken brand.